Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-05-06
SHIRLEY CARSTONE.
THEY MET ONCE MORE.
By ELIZA ARCHARD.


bent and feeble, but he ran up valantly when
he heard the shrek. He saw Rips hand laid
upon Brownie. He thought she was being
murdered.
he had an ak on his shoulder. Old as he
was, he would have cleft the tramp's skull in
moment, but the fellow saw the descending
ak and caught it. He let the girl go and
laid hold of the negro
"Run, Miss Brownie" cried old Sam
Brownie was still wild with terror. She
was an unreasoning creature at best. She
gave in to the moments impulse, and ran as
Sam told her.
The tramp tried to shake off the negro.
"Let me go" he muttered, in rage. "Let
me go, or Iii murder YOU"
But Sam chung about him with hamper
ing hold, and kept him back. 1t reused all
the fury in him. He doubled his fist and
gave Sam a stunning blow. The black man
fell like stone and lay still.
"There -" said the tramp
Two men met Brownie as she ran. No
sooner did she catch sight of one of these two
than she flung her arms around his neck in
an agony of fright and ecstasy of relief She
cuddled down against his breast as if he was
the last man on earth and she never meant
to let him 60
Truly she never did Was he not Robert
Edgery, her repentant, returning loverl
The other man was her brother Harry, now
well grown youth of 49, They had come
to look for her. There were Harry's strong
and willing arms for her to fling herself into,
and Harry was the dearest brother she had.
Yet she ran past him and flung herself fran
tically upon young man she had quarreled
with, and who was no kin tSh her at all. Truly,
girls are queer.
At sight of them Rip disappeared. 1t was
as if he had dropped through the ground.
Robert and Harry searched all about. That
night the neighborhood men secured the
woods for him. They never found him.
Sam was alive but unconscious when they
came to him. He was old, black and ignorant,
and timid and weak, yet he was as true a
hero, true a knight of chivalry as ever
breathed. lie gave his life to succor fair
lady in distress
The faithful soul never came to his senses.
His head struck a stone as he fell under the
blow from Rips fist. He breathed on un-
consciously for two hours. Then-another
link was broken that bound the Carstones to
their vanished childhood. He was buried in
the Carstone graveyard, not far from the
master to whose children he had been so
faithful Many is the time Sam had said:
II allus wanted big funeral. 1t is 'specta-
BILE like, as if a man was genlman OF conse-
auence. When die it'd be comfort to me
to know de fust families all turned out and
helped lay dc old man away"
If he could have known it, Sam had his
wish to his hearts content. The first families
turned out in mass and followed him to his
grave. Could he have known it, he would
have considered his funeral a credit to the
Carstone family.
1t was some days before Brownie got back
her spirits. She was pale and weak, and
easily startled. And now the Englishman
proved how gentle and devoted he could be-
He showed beyond doubt that he both could
and did see whether a lady was comfortable
or not. When the neighbors gathered at
Sans funeral, in the kindly country fashion,
Edgerly took his place with the Carstones
beside Brownie, as if he had right there.
Then aftcrward when Brownie was begin
ming to be herself again, he stad later than
usual one evening. When he went away he
boldly kissed her good night before all the
folk
Brownie blushed and pouted slightly and
drew back.
"Oh, come ncw,' said he. "When young
lady throws herself into u mans arms in the
presence of third party, you know
Brownie was suppressed.
Then he went away for a few days
"What have you done with your forget-me-
not ring Browniep he asked when he came
back.
otis gone" she answered mournfully. II
wore it oil the same and never took it Off.
But / was robbed Of it that day-that
day.
ooh, well, don't mind about it."
Next there was silence. Robert broke it,
with remark as follows, to witt
II have been away from England a year
and half. If don't get out Of this hea-
thenish country soon, shall forget how civ
ilized people eat"
Brownie looked up
"Tm going back in January, going home
to stay this time"
Brownie gave start.
you'll break your heart about me, I
know, if l leave you here"
Don't you think you are little mean to
say thati" she asked.
$50 suppose shall have to take you over
to England with me-"
Which he did. She made him as sweet, as
true wife, yea, and as fair and bright, as
ever .graced stately home.
For Shirley, the faithful, the untiring, her
existence moved on as though life was never,
never to end for her.. She worked and
thought for them all, and for everybody,
without stopping or breathing space. Be-
tween herself and Brownies husband tie Of
friendship grew that became only stronger
as he was older. She had not brother by
blood whose devotion to her was as enthu-
siastic as Roberts. Ones familiars and kin
are often the ones who are the most blind to
the best that is in him. 1t was surely SO with
Shirley, who was used to make so little Of
herself.
She had not the leisure time to begin her
poem as yet Not yet.
The power her father and the master dis
cerned in her had its forced development in
other ways than they had thought. The
mother and younger children remained still
TO be worked for. She and they had still to
live from hand to mouth.
So newspaper woman she was and re-
NAMED. But she degraded her calling to no
mean or spiteful or shallow ends. Longfel-
1oxv tallo how the mechanic Albrecht Durer